A World Without You
by Zanza8
Summary: Jake doesn't trust Cassandra but when a routine investigation goes horribly wrong, she may be the only one who can save his life.
1. Chapter 1

"_I like you, Cassandra. I just don't trust you."_ Jake's words to Cassandra seemed written on the air everywhere she looked. Even worse than the words themselves was the memory of his face when he'd said them, so pleasant, smiling and meeting her eyes so directly. It was painfully clear that he had no problem with Cassandra on the team as long as he was never in a position again where he might have to trust her, and she was at a loss what to do about the situation. Eve had shrugged off Cassandra's concern, assuming that Jake would come around in time. Ezekiel hadn't been angry to begin with-he understood Cassandra's betrayal of the team when she was offered a cure for the brain tumor that was killing her and took it for granted that anyone would do the same. Jenkins didn't even know there was tension between Cassandra and Jake.

She sighed and picked up another book from the table, idly leafing through it before writing the title and the author's name on a file card. She had a strong suspicion that Jenkins only had them cataloguing books to keep them from talking to him, but she didn't care. She might as well fill in the time this way.

"All right, people, listen up!" Jenkins strode into the room holding the clipping book.

"Let me guess." Eve put down the book she was working on. "A giant sea serpent is attacking Manhattan."

Ezekiel grinned. "An invisible thief is robbing Fort Knox."

"Somebody's been sucked into a painting at the Louvre." Jake didn't even look up from the file card he was writing on.

"Garden gnomes are coming to life!" Cassandra shrank back as everyone turned and stared at her. "What? It could happen."

Jenkins rolled his eyes. "As colorful as all your suggestions are, it's nothing so exciting. Merely a statue that requires investigation and possibly retrieval."

"Just a statue?" Eve shook her head. "Why would a statue show up in the book?"

Jenkins frowned. "Actually, I'm not sure. I'll have to do some research…"

Jake reached out and took the book, laying it on the table and studying the newspaper clipping that had appeared. "A dragon? Doesn't look like anything special." He read the short column underneath the grainy picture. "It says that it was a donation at a local fundraiser. The only reason they put it in the paper at all is that it was donated by some prominent rich family."

The others crowded around to look at the picture. The statue was on a table among the sort of jumble one generally finds at a sale of donated items, and it didn't appear to be anything special. It was just a small dragon, a snaky looking creature with a mane and long whiskers, and Cassandra said, "I thought dragons had wings."

"Dragons in western mythology have wings." Jake pointed to the picture. "Chinese dragons can look like almost any animal, but this is the most common form. Like a snake with four feet. So what's so special about this thing, Jenkins?"

"I told you, I don't know. I have to research it. The picture showed up in the book, and the dragon is the only thing mentioned specifically, so I'm assuming it may need to be in the annex."

"That's a pretty big assumption," said Eve thoughtfully, "but we could use an outing. It says here the sale is in San Diego."

"Sounds good to me." Ezekiel smiled widely. "I wouldn't mind a trip to the beach."

"Well, get going." Jenkins snapped the book shut. "I'll see what I can find out."


	2. Chapter 2

Eve went through the door first, looking around cautiously, then stumbled as the other three pushed past her. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Baird." Ezekiel looked abashed. "Never been to San Diego."

"I've always wanted to go," said Cassandra, looking around eagerly. "Where are we?"

"Balboa Park." Eve got her bearings and pointed. "The Organ Pavilion is over there, and the Japanese Friendship Garden…" The others looked surprised and she smiled. "I did some training here with the SEALs."

"Sounds about right," said Ezekiel. "Where's the sale?"

"Over there." Jake headed for a large sign proclaiming a fundraiser for a senior citizen's organization and the others followed, looking around at the beautifully landscaped grounds and tall buildings.

"This place looks like it's been here forever," exclaimed Ezekiel. "How old are these buildings?"

Eve smiled. "I know they look like they're hundreds of years old, but most of them were built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. I always liked this place-you could spend hours exploring the trails and the museums and attending all the events they have here."

"Like this fundraiser," said Cassandra, looking in at the sale in progress. It seemed very quiet, compared to the adventures the Librarians had been through all over the world. There were perhaps two dozen people in all, mostly old, ambling around the room examining the wares, while a couple of young women were at a table in the corner, with a cash box and a ledger. Eve was the first to spot the dragon statue they had come for and she picked it up off the table.

"Well, it does look really old." She handed it to Jake.

"This is beautiful work," he said, turning it over in his hands. "Solid bronze, lost wax method...look at the detail on the scales and the delicacy of the whiskers."

Eve and Ezekiel traded glances. "Do you see anything unusual about it, Stone?" asked the colonel.

"Just the collar." Jake puzzled over the statue. "I've never seen a dragon with a collar-they're mythical creatures, they're supposed to be wild."

Cassandra took the dragon. "It's so heavy!" She ran her fingers over the metal and almost dropped it as the eyes glowed bright red. "Okay, that's unusual." The collar, an intricate chain, turned gold and loosened on the dragon's neck, dropping off in her hand. "Jake…"

He held out his hand and the dragon leaped at him, burying its teeth in his forearm before disappearing through the door.

"Okay, I would say that is as unusual as it gets." Ezekiel went to the door. "For an animal without wings, that dragon flew pretty good. And of course there's the coming to life part. Good thing the old folks didn't notice anything."

"As fast as it happened…" Eve frowned. "Stone, are you all right?"

Jake was holding his arm and his face was very pale. "I don't know. It's just a scratch but it hurts like hell." He swayed and Cassandra steadied him.

"You don't look very well."

He tried to smile. "All of a sudden I don't feel very well." His eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to his knees. He would have pitched forward on his face if Eve hadn't caught him.

"Stone?" She shook him. "Stone, can you hear me?"

The people in the room finally noticed something wrong and one of the young women hurried over. "What happened?"

"Call 911!" Eve felt for a pulse in Jake's throat and shook her head. "Way too fast and weak. Hurry! We need an ambulance!"


	3. Chapter 3

"This is all my fault." Cassandra stared at the floor.

"How do you figure that?" asked Ezekiel.

"Isn't it obvious?" The pretty redhead all but wrung her hands. "The statue was just a statue until I touched it. Look." She fished the gold chain out of her pocket. "Something about me brought it to life."

"That's not your fault," said Eve reassuringly.

"Actually, it is her fault," said Jenkins on the speaker.

Cassandra burst into tears and ran out of the room. They were gathered in the hospital lounge and Jenkins was more acerbic than usual when they called him and refused to return to the annex until they knew how Jake was doing. Eve glared at the phone. "Jenkins!"

"I'll get Cassandra." Ezekiel hurried after the girl.

"What?" Jenkins glared at his phone. "Cassandra brought the dragon to life, didn't she?"

"You make it sound like she did it on purpose!" Eve was thoroughly exasperated as Cassandra walked back, Ezekiel patting her on the shoulder.

"I didn't say she did it on purpose." They heard rustling as Jenkins turned pages on a book. "But this is no time to beat about the bush. This is serious."

"We're not playing around here, Jenkins. Wait a minute." The doctor was approaching and Eve said, "I'm going to put you on hold."

"Put me on hold! I have never…" Jenkins' voice was abruptly cut off as Eve pressed a button and stood up to speak to the doctor. "How's our friend, Doctor…"

"Carrington." He motioned to the chairs. "I think you should sit down."

Eve felt a chill but kept her voice calm. "You heard the man. Jones, have a seat. You too, Cassandra." She looked steadily at the doctor. "I prefer to stand."

He shrugged. "As you wish. I'm afraid there isn't much hope. Your friend was obviously bitten by a poisonous animal, but we can't identify the poison. I've never seen anything like it, and with the herpetarium at the zoo…"

"Herpetarium?" Ezekiel frowned.

Eve gave him a stern look. "Snakes, Jones."

Carrington nodded. "Very good. I'm familiar not only with the poisonous snakes at the zoo, but a number of other venomous animals-it's a specialty of mine, but your friend seems to be suffering from a poison I've never seen. If we can't identify it in time…" He paused, then went on very quietly. "He may not live."

"Oh, my God." Cassandra buried her face in her hands.

Eve said strongly, "Thank you, doctor. Can we see him?"

"Just for a moment. We've treated his symptoms but he's very weak and in considerable pain. He needs to rest. And if he has any family, they should be notified."


End file.
